Cycling:Defending champion Alberto Contador showed his fighting spirit when he gained 10 seconds over Andy Schleck in their Tour de France battle. Contador was second in the 12th stage after he was outsprinted by compatriot Joaquim Rodriguez.
His lieutenant at Astana, Kazakh Alexandre Vinokourov, was third, four seconds behind.
Two-time winner Contador attacked in the final climb, a 3.1-km section at an average gradient of 10.1 per cent, and Schleck, who retained the yellow jersey, could not respond.
The Luxembourg rider was fifth in the stage, 10 seconds behind, and now holds a 31-second advantage over Contador two days before the Tour enters the Pyrenees.
"We played it smart in the finale and we took a little bit of time off Andy; too bad we could not win the stage," Vinokourov told reporters. "It gives us confidence for the Pyrenees."
Leading final positions after Stage 12(Bourg-de-Peage — Mende, 210.5km): 1 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha 4hrs 58mins 26secs, 2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana at same time, 3 Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana at 0.04secs, 4 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto at 0.10, 5 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank at same time, 6 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel — Euskadi at same time, 7 Andreas Kloden (Ger) Team Radioshack at same time, 8 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank at same time, 9 Robert Gesink (Ned Rabobank at 0.15, 10 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas-Doimo at same time, 11 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team Radioshack at 0.17, 12 Ruben Plaza Molina (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne at 0.31, 13 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini at same time, 14 Bradley Wiggins (Gbr) Sky Professional Cycling Team at same time, 15 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team at same time, 16 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo at same time, 17 Christopher Horner (USA) Team Radioshack at same time, 18 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team at same time, 19 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne at same time, 20 Nicolas Roche (Irl)AG2R La Mondiale at same time
General Classification after Stage 12:1 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 58hrs 42mins 01sec, 2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana at 0.31, 3 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel — Euskadi at 2.45, 4 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank at 2.58, 5 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto at 3.31, 6 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team Radioshack at 4.06, 7 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank at 4.27, 8 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha at 4.58, 9 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne at 5.02, 10 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas-Doimo at 5.16, 11 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo at 5.30, 12 Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana at 6.25, 13 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin — Transitions at same time, 14 Nicolas Roche (Irl)AG2R La Mondiale at 6.44, 15 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team at 7.34, 16 Bradley Wiggins (Gbr) Sky Professional Cycling Team at 7.39, 17 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team HTC — Columbia at 7.47, 18 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team at 8.08, 19 Thomas Lofkvist (Swe) Sky Professional Cycling Team at 8.24, 20 Andreas Kloden (Ger) Team Radioshack at 9.05